This text is part of the special Feminine Leadership notebook
Mélanie Courtois is realizing her dream of becoming a nurse, with the objective of contributing to the well-being of the population, giving back to Indigenous communities and improving access to care among First Nations by advocating cultural security. She wants to instill in her family valuable lessons in courage, determination and perseverance. And also encourage women to believe in themselves and dare to dream.
“I want to show people that, no matter what path we choose, we can all get out of our comfort zone. We all have the power to act, despite the challenges we may encounter, and we must keep our goals in mind. We must not give up. Life is sometimes dotted with beautiful moments, sometimes with trials; you have to be able to take the time and the means to overcome them,” explains the graduate in an interview.
A diploma, a baby
Mother of a large family of five children and kukum (grandma) of an eight-year-old girl as well as another cherub due to arrive this year, Mélanie Courtois honors the deeply rooted family values of her Innu community of Mashteuiatsh, in Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean. Her personal development was thus intertwined with her professional journey, creating before her a road punctuated by challenges that she courageously overcame.
Mme Courtois was 16 and attending high school when her first baby was born, completing her technical nursing training at Cégep de St-Félicien when she welcomed her second, and two other babies expanded her household during her certificate. in community health and her bachelor’s degree in nursing at the University of Quebec at Chicoutimi (UQAC). UQAC also publicly saluted the confidence and success of Mélanie Courtois as part of the School Perseverance Days, in mid-February.
The 43-year-old woman sums up her situation by specifying with humor, a perceptible pride in her voice, that she has given birth to each of her new diplomas, or almost. Her curriculum vitae was subsequently expanded with other achievements, including a certificate in human resources management at TELUQ University, a specialized graduate studies diploma in nursing sciences and a master’s degree in nursing sciences (IPSPL — nurse practitioner specialized in primary care) completed in fall 2023.
She is currently waiting for her candidate’s license to practice the nursing profession, and wishes to eventually exercise her know-how in Mashteuiatsh, with her family. And his kids were enriched by a fifth little one on the sidelines of this hard work!
“My background is not necessarily atypical. [Mais] it perhaps does not correspond to the Quebec system, with our life choices. We consider that family is super important, and professional projects will take place through family life. This brings significant challenges because the system is not designed accordingly,” explains Mélanie Courtois, who, very humble, hesitated a bit at the idea that The duty draws his portrait.
Twice, his registration for a master’s degree was refused. “Because I didn’t meet the criteria,” she says, citing family and work as reasons for these setbacks. “When I did my baccalaureate, I didn’t care about getting the best grades. The important thing for me was to succeed, but I didn’t have the rating requested. »
When places reserved for indigenous people became available, Mélanie Courtois threw herself into it with all her passion, rowing hard to maintain the required university average.
ADD, a simple difference
The specialist also had to deal with an additional difficulty in class: ADD (attention deficit disorder). “Masters is a lot of reading, a lot of research. It requires a lot of concentration, so it’s more difficult. It was a challenge, but I did it! I’ve learned over time that it’s not because I’m less intelligent; It’s more that I learn differently. I don’t “fit” into the education system, but we find strategies! (laughs) »
Today, Mélanie Courtois is enthusiastic about the concrete involvement that her IPSPL title will allow her in indigenous communities lacking resources. “What is interesting about this practice is that it allows us to diagnose and prescribe. We may offer invasive techniques, such as installing stitches or an IUD. The practice itself offers more possibilities in terms of continuity of care and access to community care. »
“Being Indigenous myself, being aware of Indigenous safety, having experienced discrimination, I found it important to be able to give back to my community, to work to ensure that care becomes more equitable. The more we are trained, the better it is for the population,” says the woman who, during her studies, offered workshops and conferences, was a team leader, clinical advisor and social development coordinator.
This content was produced by the Special Publications team at Duty, relating to marketing. The writing of the Duty did not take part.